Review Summary: Solid pop-rock with a TexMex twist; you'll listen over and over again.
1997's Hang On To Nothing is the sole major-label album of Tempe-based band The Pistoleros, featuring brothers Mark and Lawrence Zubia. Not every song on here is good, but the ones that are go all the way. Let's take a look at the pros and cons...
Pros:
The star of this show has to be the lead single and minor radio hit "My Guardian Angel" written by their former and deceased bandmate Doug Hopkins (The Gin Blossoms). Hopkins is famous for monster hits like "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You", and once again he hits it out of the park with "My Guardian Angel". "Angel de mi guarda/De me dulce compania/No me desampares/Ni de noche, ne di dia" sings the charismatic Lawrence Zubia, of Hispanic descent, in the chorus, which is adapted from a Mexican prayer. Trumpets blare behind him and add an element of heart and soulfulness. Still, what leads up to the chorus, the pre-chorus, is just as good: "And though I once was rich/I know what it is to be hungry/And though I've nearly drowned/I know what it is to be thirsty" poetically recites Zubia with drumsticks tapping behind him to a clean, jangly, emotional guitar riff that only the late Hopkins could have written.
Still, if the Zubia brothers are to be outshined by Hopkins, it is only by an inch. There are plenty of other great songs on here, including a song probably about Hopkins titled "Funeral". As they showed on their previous effort Mistaken For Granted (recorded when they were still The Chimeras), these guys are great at making an opening track. "Somehow, Someway" is the first song on the album, and it takes the listener in right away with its captivating hook and catchy rhythm. Some lead guitar with a chorusey effect is brought in later, and ladies & gentlemen, we have ourselves a song! I can and have listened to this track over and over. I'm surprised my mp3 player hasn't come to life and yelled at me for playing it so much.
Another high point of the album is "Wild Love Coast", a country-inspired Spanish acoustic song (Spanish being the style; the lyrics are English). It's a very intimate song and is enhanced emotionally by an electric organ and a strings section.
So those are the pros. What about the cons?
Well, for an ironic start, I despise the title track. It's something that's intended to be catchy, but is just too choppy. Another con is these guys can't write a closer. Here you have an album that is overall very beautiful and tremendously impressive, yet they can't end it on anything better than the poppy, half-hearted "Lie To Me". It's a pretty big dissappointment. In addition, the end of the album features some other weak tracks like "The Game" and "Just To Hold On To You".
Another complain I might have is that many of these songs sound alike. Save for a handful of standouts, these songs are incredibly similar in style.
These songs are especially good if you have an affection for Sheryl Crow style pop-rock/bar-rock kinda stuff, though not as tame and adult-contemporary-ish like Sheryl Crow, more rock-ish.
Between Lawrence Zubia's addictively captivating voice and brother Mark's interesting guitar style, there's not much to not love about this album. It's really a shame they got dropped by the label, but that's the music biz.
